Ick devistated my tank... Now what?

[SkyDoodles]

Tang got it first and I pulled him and quarantined him... The the Cardinals came next, I could only catch one. Then is just ravaged the tank... I lost my tang, indigo psuedochromis, midus Blenny, 3 yellow striped Cardinals and some chromis. It was so sad. I was on the brink of just giving up my salt tank!
I was also able to pull my clowns, darts and lawnmower and quarantine them with copper. Still have 3 In the display

tank that will not be caught. I've been treating that with ralley and kick ick. Just depressing. Not sure what to do at this point... I doubt Im Going to get those fish out (pygmy angel, chromis and pink spot goby) to let the tank go fallow. I was considering putting everyone back in and just living with ick...any thoughts or experience with this?

 

[jmichaelh7]

Don’t give up

 

[homer1475]

Ive gone to ich management rather then eradication.

I tried the QT route, it worked great for a few years. Then one day I obviously screwed something up and ich got through y QT protocol. Now I just feed well, keep the fish fat and happy, and ich will mostly stay away.

The only problem with this method is any stress event can cause an outbreak.

To get those last fish out, remove your rocks into buckets, drain the tank down to a couple inches, then net the fish out. Your rocks will be fine for a couple hours out of water. Done it many times to catch an unruly fish.

 

[pdxmonkeyboy]

Or use a fish trap.

 

[homer1475]

Fish traps work great, IF you have the time to wait them out. In the OP's case the fish need to come out NOW, not in a couple days.

 

[Eleni18]

Hi, I am practising ich management too. My blue tang gets ich whenever it is stressed. I freaked out at first, then just feed well and add garlic whenever I see an outbreak. So far, only the tang gets it and it goes away after a couple of days. I am sorry for your fish but don't give up. These things do happen in reefing

 

[elic173]

There is only one way forward.
Catch all you fish and QT them properly.
Then run your display tank fallow. Going forward, QT anything wet that goes into the tank. I QT everything including corals all the way down to snails! If you are strict, you will never get an outbreak again.

 

[homer1475]

There is only one way forward.
Catch all you fish and QT them properly.
Then run your display tank fallow. Going forward, QT anything wet that goes into the tank. I QT everything including corals all the way down to snails! If you are strict, you will never get an outbreak again.

No matter how diligent you are, eventually it will make it through. Might not be today, or tomorrow, but it will eventually happen. You may not see an outbreak, and think your QT protocols are working, but just give your fish one stressful event......

In all my years of reefing, only when I QTed my fish with a strict protocol would any stressful event cause the fish to breakout with some sort of something. No one QT's fish in the ocean, they just live with it giving their immune system a chance to fight it off.

When I went to a more managed approach, any stress event doesn't cause them to breakout. I liken it to our own immune systems, if we were kept in a bubble all our lives with no exposure to pathogens, anything(even the common cold) can have the potential to kill us as our immune system has no idea how to fight off the disease.

 

[SDK]

However you treat the fish, it will be helpful for you to also look at the underlying issues that got you here in the first place.

How large is your tank and how long has it been set up?

I am asking because pictures can be deceiving. Having said that, you seem to have an awful lot of fish in that tank based on photos of what looks like a relatively small/newish aquarium.

I’ve been keeping SW fish and reefs since the 1970’s and I think sometime in the late 80’s was the last time I lost a fish to ich. It’s not a coincidence that I learned the value of patience (among other things like mandatory RO/DI use and proper nutrition) right around that time.

“Too much too fast” is absolutely one of the most common causes of stress and disease in captive marine fish. From your description I’m counting over a dozen fish, including multiple territorial fish in a tank that looks to be about 2 or 3 feet long and 40 gallons or so. You have it stocked like it’s a mature four foot long 75 or 90 gallon tank. Therein lies the root of your problem I believe.

 

[SkyDoodles]

Or use a fish trap.

I've bought two different ones...going to set the build one up and try with that one

 

[SkyDoodles]

However you treat the fish, it will be helpful for you to also look at the underlying issues that got you here in the first place.

How large is your tank and how long has it been set up?

I am asking because pictures can be deceiving. Having said that, you seem to have an awful lot of fish in that tank based on photos of what looks like a relatively small/newish aquarium.

I’ve been keeping SW fish and reefs since the 1970’s and I think sometime in the late 80’s was the last time I lost a fish to ich. It’s not a coincidence that I learned the value of patience (among other things like mandatory RO/DI use and proper nutrition) right around that time.

“Too much too fast” is absolutely one of the most common causes of stress and disease in captive marine fish. From your description I’m counting over a dozen fish, including multiple territorial fish in a tank that looks to be about 2 or 3 feet long and 40 gallons or so. You have it stocked like it’s a mature four foot long 75 or 90 gallon tank. Therein lies the root of your problem I believe.

That tank is 65 gallon with a 20 gal sump. The tank is very new (2 -3 months) it was a upgrade/move from a 40 gallon red sea (5 years old with a move in between) Everything that was in the red sea went into the 65 except the tang, the mydus Blenny, theb 3 yellow stripped Cardinals and the puesdo. I had a couple clowns in the 40 until I sold it, they didn't want the fish so I added them to the 65 with the intent to give them to a friend. I thought I was doing good on the amount of fish, but maybe that's where I missed the mark. Im just upset because to my knowledge I never had an ick issue with the red sea. As far as livestock I did have...
4 small clowns
1 lawn mower Blenny
1 indigo psuedochromis
1 mydus Blenny
2 dart fish
1 pigmy angel
1 pink spot Gobie
3 chromis
1 kole tang
3 yellow striped Cardinals
Wow, now that I list them it does seem like alot...I thought I was okay, but clearly I was not.
So if I decide to just manage ick instead of irradicate does that mean to never put a kole or bristletooth tang In there?

 

[Spieg]

Only way I've had success was a lengthy period (I think 74 days is recommended) of keeping tank fallow.
This is an interesting take from down under, but not sure I trust it (and even if true, who has access to a giant UV sterilizer?);

 

[SDK]

That tank is 65 gallon with a 20 gal sump. The tank is very new (2 -3 months) it was a upgrade/move from a 40 gallon red sea (5 years old with a move in between) Everything that was in the red sea went into the 65 except the tang, the mydus Blenny, theb 3 yellow stripped Cardinals and the puesdo. I had a couple clowns in the 40 until I sold it, they didn't want the fish so I added them to the 65 with the intent to give them to a friend. I thought I was doing good on the amount of fish, but maybe that's where I missed the mark. Im just upset because to my knowledge I never had an ick issue with the red sea. As far as livestock I did have...
4 small clowns
1 lawn mower Blenny
1 indigo psuedochromis
1 mydus Blenny
2 dart fish
1 pigmy angel
1 pink spot Gobie
3 chromis
1 kole tang
3 yellow striped Cardinals
Wow, now that I list them it does seem like alot...I thought I was okay, but clearly I was not.
So if I decide to just manage ick instead of irradicate does that mean to never put a kole or bristletooth tang In there?

The tang is borderline in my opinion if you have no plans to upgrade to a larger tank. If you are really attached to it, you can help your chances of success by losing some of the other fish. Two of the four clowns are an obvious choice as your tank is too small for four to coexist long term. Two of them are going to eventually pair off and kill the other two.

I would trade off the chromis as well, at least for now, and I don’t think the cardinals will last long term in what is going to be a boisterous community. The tang, psuedochomis, angel and clowns are all going to be vying for territory in a 3’ tank.

Get the numbers down somehow (if the ich doesn’t do it for you). Then get the tank and fish stabilized and let it mature for six months. At that point you can revisit and see if there is room to add a few fish back.

 

[Weasel1960]

Hang in there and good luck, keep us posted.

 

[Erick Armanii]

Drain the water to a few inches much easier to catch the little guys just don’t cross contaiminate the display water, net or other equipment in the qt. Run fallow for 76 days then reintroduce them.. it sucks but it’s worth it